Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Uganda, The Pearl of Africa- Update 1

International cricket match referee Devdas Govindjee gives us an update on his current experience in Uganda where the ICC Africa division 1 T20 World Cup Qualifying tournament is being held. The participating countries in the tournament are Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Nigeria and Botswana. I am always happy and delighted to receive updates from him as his emails are so vivid and descriptive that I feel as though I am going through all his experiences myself. Many of my blog readers feel very much the same way. I would also like to take the opportunity in thanking Mr. Govindjee for allowing me to share his priceless and beautiful photos with my blog readers.

Greetings
on a balmy Central African evening from the Hotel Africana in Kampala
Uganda - after the beauty of the Western Cape where I had been since 16
January it was a tired and almost homesick soul that boarded SA 160 out
of Johannesburg on Friday heading out on my very first excursion to this
country.

The
4 hour flight rejuvenated me and with a time change of 1 hour found
myself thinking
that I was landing at some coastal city - that is the extent to which
the nearby Lake Victoria's vastness influences the approaching
landscape- the Entebbe International airport is on the shores of Lake
Victoria.

The
mind flashed back to 1976 as our flight approached Entebbe
International airport - the news that made World headlines when an Air
France flight out of Tel Aviv bound for Paris was hijacked and landed at
Entebbe -before you could say Uganda the Israeli Commandoes rescued the
hostages in what was then called Operation Entebbe!

Lets
move forward from that short history lesson - the 40 kms or so drive
from the airport took about 80mins and what fascinated me that almost
all the way along the roadsides there were some or other businesses
being operated- it was early evening and dim lights created an almost
surreal effect with the motor cars and buses jostling for prime road
space with much competition from hundreds of motor cycles that also
serve as taxis for those commuting shorter distances - the locals refer
to them as Boda Bodas and naturally they zig-zag their way through
traffic.

I
finally reached the Hotel Africana in Kampala around 9.30 pm local time
and managed a late supper at a nearby Nakumatt food court.

In
case you are wondering- I am in Uganda to officiate for the ICC via
their Africa Cricket Association (ACA) at the 2013 Pepsi ICC Africa
Cricket World Cup Qualifier (CWCQ) division 1 with the participating
countries being the hosts Uganda as well as Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana
and Nigeria.

After
a wonderful sleep in a very spacious room it was immediately down to
business after breakfast on Sat morning as the tournament got under way-
two venues being used - Lugogo and Kyambogo- fortunately both not too
far from the hotel and about a 10 mins drive from each other.

Having
not been able to come in as per our usual 2 days before any tournament
there had been no time to conduct ground inspections etc but on visiting
both venues on match day 1 it was encouraging to note
that they met with required standards and everything that was needed to
be done had been attended to by the local organisers.

The
ICC's efforts to globalize cricket is certainly paying dividends as I
sat watching play in the afternoon at Lugogo to see the very big turnout
of supporters as well as their clear understanding of the game as
reflected in the applause for good fielding or good batting etc.

I
felt once again that humbling gut feeling reminding me how privileged
it actually was for me to be able to visit these grounds where cricket
was being played - a long long way from my first games in the streets of
downtown Port Elizabeth where the good old dustbin served as the
wickets and words such as turf pitches or reverse sweep did not form
part of our cricketing vocab!

I
walked around the field and bumped into a well dressed elegant lady who
seemed a bit out of her comfort zone- she enquired from me as to where
she could meet the officials of the Botswana team and introduced herself
as the
Hon. consular based at the embassy in Kampala - she also informed me
that she had never ever been to a cricket match and did not have a clue
as to what it was all about - hopefully after her day with the team
officials she would have left knowing exactly what was meant by " one
slip and two fine legs" ! ( cricketing terms to the uninitiated of
course!!)

The
atmosphere at both venues was excellent with the sponsors providing
hospitality areas with appropriate banners and signage as well as some
dancers who provided some entertainment with moves to the music which
was well controlled by the djs.

The
standard of cricket played was good and the intensity shown reflected
well on the competitiveness of the event with much at stake for the 2
teams that finish at the top of the table after the completion of two
round robin matches.

Last
night the officials of Kenya cricket ( now headed by the first ever
Woman president of a national cricket body - Jackie Janmohammed)
together with the RDM ( Regional
Development Manager) -ICC-Africa Mr Cassim Suliman invited me out for
supper- we went to a delightful Indian restaurant called Khana Khazana -
ambiance was good with superb food and patronized by locals and
foreigners once again bringing the message clearly across that parts of
Africa will always attract the tourist!

I
have rambled way beyond the intended short update and introduction to
Uganda- that happens when one has had a 2 hour mid-afternoon nap and now
at 11.15 still feels fresh enough to continue typing away!

The
tournament continues tomorrow with another full day's programme of
first round matches - 2 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon at the
respective veneus.

The
2nd round matches ( each team playing the otehr twice during the week)
starts on Tue and the final matches will be played on Fri morning with
the presentation function that evening and I then fly out on Saturday
the 2nd March.

If you actually stopped reading some paragraphs ago and then just scrolled to the end I shall not hold it against you!!!!

Until
my next update- which will probably be before my departure I say take
care - all pics on fb for the fb follower - stunning sunrises grabbing
my attention the past two mornings! - all the best

Dev

The sight that greeted me on day one from my balcony at the Hotel Africana in Kampala Uganda.

Day 1 like most of my days anywehre in the world has to start with a swim- no different at the Hotel Africana in Kampala.

A
sight that warms the heart- little kids take to the field during the
break to enjoy some cricket while groundstaff work on the pitch in the
background

Monday morning's drive from the Hotel Africana to the Lugogo Cricket ground. along the way these "trunks" - am told they are very popular and come in all sorts of sizes- bought for pupils and students in boarding schools or hostels at universities.

Green Lush and Fertile - The Pearl of Africa. Uganda

No
wonder the boda bodas are so popular- weaving their way through early
morning traffic a much better option than being stuck in it!

Loading the truck- Bananas are abundant in Uganda with the Matoke being a staple diet.

Getting spoilt at Kyambogo - enjoying a plate sized Chappati! Indian food is a way of life for many Ugandans.

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Magical Madain Saleh

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Whilst on a short trip to Dubai enroute to South Africa, my two brothers, Farhan and Muhammed convinced me to start writing my own blog page.See I'm one of those vivacious, bold characters always analyzing newspaper articles, commenting on various other blogs, and observing human behaviour. Travelling is a hobby I very much enjoy and so after visiting various parts of the globe I love to convey what I've experienced to the rest of the world. I work in a pretty awesome environment as well surrounded by a diaspora of cultures and nationalities each one having their own religious beliefs and ideologies. It is quite fascinating how we all interact together in the interest of providing good patient health care..Oops..by the way..I am an emergency pharmacist of South African Indian origin. I grew up in South Africa, completed my tertiary education there and then after working for a few years in my home country I decided to try pharmacy in another country and what better country to choose than the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia especially since I come from an Islamic background...Yes...I'm a Muslim woman from South Africa working in the Middle East and NO...I'm not a terrorist!!!Welcome to my world and I hope that you would find this blog interesting and entertaining.I look forward to interacting with all of you!!!!

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I am an emergency pharmacist of South African Indian origin currently residing in the fascinating Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.I am the eldest of two kids.I have a happily married brother who is a year younger than me.I have a loving mom, a supportive dad and two cute, adorable nieces, J and J....